


Final Descent

by Alley_Cat



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Desert Island, F/M, Happy Ending, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alley_Cat/pseuds/Alley_Cat
Summary: Edward sensed her from miles away and followed his heart to the busiest place in the city—the airport. Just as he was about to meet his soul mate, the plane they were flying in suddenly fell from the sky. What is a vampire to do but grab his mate and jump toward the ocean. A story that begins with a fall and ends in Happily Ever After. Total AU, M for themes and language.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	1. Going Down

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephanie Meyer. The original plot is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> This short story is part of the compilation for Australian Bushfires Compilation – Hope Among the Ashes. Thank you to all of the authors who participated and to everyone who donated to the charities aimed to help rebuild after those terrible fires.

_Thank you to DayDreamDreamer and LeeorV for giving this chapter a once-over._

_I would also like to thank germanAkice who gifted me with the idea for this story somewhere around 2015-ish. It's been lying in my virtual drawer for many years until I was finally inspired to give it life._

* * *

**Chapter One – Going Down**

**Bella**

I closed my eyes, held onto the arms of my seat, and prayed as the airplane began its takeoff. The rumble of the engines along with the feeling that I was being pushed against my seat were bad enough, but as the wheels of this flying metal tin left the ground, my heart got stuck in my throat.

My family wasn't religious. Though my mother, Renée, often experimented with many different beliefs, my dad—the Chief of Police in our small town of Forks, Washington—worshipped at the stream with his friends on Sundays rather than at the church. At this point, however, I thought I made a good imitation of a nun as I fervently prayed to whatever deity was willing to listen.

It was only my first time flying, but I was quickly realizing that I didn't like it. Not one bit.

_Oh, heavenly Father, which art in heaven. Please keep this flying tin in the air as long as it needs to. Please make sure that we have enough fuel to reach…to reach… Damn, where am I flying again?_

_Oh, right, Trinidad. With a stop in Bermuda._

_Isn't that the place where all the planes go missing?_

_So not the right thing to be thinking about right now, Bella._

I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself, but my heart was pounding in my ears so loudly that I could hardly hear my own thoughts anymore.

_Come on, Bella, you're not the first person to be flying. This is a large plane. It's safe. More people die in car accidents every day. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than dying in a plane crash._

"Miss?"

I opened my eyes to find the flight attendant looking at me. "Y-yes?"

"Would you like something to drink?"

I nodded and crocked, "Orange juice." Then, I swallowed the lump in my throat and added, "Please."

Wasn't there something about sugar being good for you? Or was it that you shouldn't have elevated sugar levels while flying? I didn't remember, and as I took the plastic cup with the brightly colored liquid, I didn't care much.

I gulped down the drink and closed my eyes again. _I can do this. Everything is going to be just fine. It's only a few hours. I can try to sleep to pass the time._

_Yeah, like that is ever going to happen._

_Just breathe, Bella. In and out. You're mostly flying over solid land. Right, so we'd die instantly if we crashed. Is it better to crash on solid ground or to hit the water? With my luck, I'd probably drown._

"Is everything okay, dear?" someone asked from beside me.

I nodded without opening my eyes. I figured the person speaking had to be the elderly woman that occupied the seat next to me. I didn't hear her speak beforehand, but the voice was so close it couldn't be anyone else.

"First time flying, deary?" the woman continued. "It's okay, honey. I fly all the time. It's perfectly safe. Just take deep breaths and think about who is waiting for you at your destination."

_Not helping, lady._ There wasn't anyone waiting for me at the destination.

"I'm sure there's a nice gentleman with flowers waiting for you. Or is it balloons these days?"

She continued chatting, and I guess she thought she was helping me relax, but I wasn't paying her any attention.

There wouldn't be anyone waiting for me in Trinidad. I no longer had anyone waiting for me anywhere, for that matter. A stab of pain pierced my chest, and I turned my head to the side, hoping no one would see the tears rolling down my cheek. It was still so fresh. The accident, the funerals, the attorney…

In a matter of seconds, I had lost both my parents. A drunk driver skipped the light and crashed into my father's cruiser while he and mom were coming back from dinner at their friends' house. Ten minutes away from home. All three were dead before any help could arrive.

I had still been living with my parents after graduation from high school, attending Peninsula College. I had dreams of attending university and perhaps going as far as earning a doctorate at some point in the future, but education was expensive. Therefore, after graduation, I opted to stay at home and attend a community college, working in Forks Outfitters and picking up shifts at the diner whenever I could.

After the accident, however, I just couldn't continue living in Forks. Everything and everyone kept reminding me of what I'd lost. That was the reason I was now abusing my poor self by flying across the country.

Well, actually it wasn't really anyone's fault but my own that I had chosen to go that far, but I needed to get away, and a tropical beach sounded like the perfect contrast to gloomy, rainy, forever-overcast Forks.

I sighed. _I am NEVER flying again. I'm taking a boat back. That's it. I'll cancel the return ticket and take a cruise._

It was a crazy notion, and I was perfectly aware of that, but in my panicked state, I simply didn't care. We had been experiencing turbulence almost since the moment we took off, and it made everything so much worse for me. I felt sick with fear each time the plane shook. There was really very little holding us in the air, and my heart was lunging into my throat every few seconds.

_Don't think about it. Try focusing on something else. Perhaps you'll meet someone cute in Trinidad?_

I almost snorted at the thought. It was just as preposterous as taking a cruise back. I was much too shy to make friends easily, and definitely when it came to the opposite sex. But it was working as a distraction, which was good. I would go for anything as long as it kept my mind off the fact that I was hanging mid-air inside a tin can with wings, praying that said can didn't decide to fall from the sky.

Except…it suddenly did. Decided to fall from the sky, that is.

It didn't occur to me that we were actually falling from the sky—and not just my panicked self thinking that we were—until the emergency masks suddenly dropped down from the top compartments. The yellow-orange plastic was mocking me as it dangled before my eyes. My fingers were glued to the armrest, refusing to let go. The mask might as well have been miles above me. There was no way I could reach it.

My thoughts stilled as I glanced at the window and saw that the light blue of the sky had disappeared from view. Instead, a darker blue was approaching at an alarming rate.

The ocean.

I closed my eyes and braced for impact. A small part of my mind prayed that death would be instantaneous. Until I tried flying, drowning had been my biggest fear. I didn't dare open my eyes when I felt the jostle and heard metal screeching.

_This is the end. God, please let it be painless._

o.O.o

**Edward**

The scent caught me completely unprepared. Wonderful. Floral. Breathtaking.

I took large gulps of air, like a drowning man saved from the water, and felt a rumble form inside my chest.

_Mine._

I did not even think as I changed course through the streets and headed after that scent. Feminine and delicate, it was alluring and seductive like no scent ever could. Like no scent ever would. After over fifteen decades of solitude, I had finally found her.

I had heard from others what it was like to find your mate, but having never experienced it myself, I did not truly understand how overwhelming the sensations would be. There was nothing more important than finding her.

So I followed my nose and my heart, and it led me to the airport. I panicked. The airport was one of those places where so many people could gather, and it was that much harder to trace just one. Was she there to meet someone or was she leaving?

If my heart could beat, I imagined it would have been pounding so loudly in my ears that it would have drowned not only my own thoughts but the thoughts of those around me. At it were, my heart had been still for over a century, and I was currently cursing my gift as it was proving to be unreliable. I was desperate to hear her thoughts; at the same time, I wished with all of my being to be able to silence the thoughts of everyone around me.

I caught a trace of her scent near one of the check-in counters. It was still fresh, so it was a good bet that she had boarded the flight to Trinidad, which was in the process of checking in passengers. It was going to start boarding in an hour and a half according to the posted schedule, and I intended to be on board that airplane.

There were only first-class seats still available at this late a time, so it was only a matter of enough money to purchase a ticket. The trouble was that I could not simply check in without any luggage. It would be much too suspicious if I did not have anything with me, and while I was willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to have my mate, I was self-controlled enough to remember that discretion was the better part of valor.

Also, it was the single most important law in my world. Keep our existence a secret. No exceptions, no second chances. Focusing on that helped me gain some measure of sanity despite everything inside me wanting to throw caution to the wind and simply storm through the airport and grab my mate.

_Focus,_ I ordered myself.

Fortunately, there were enough shops for me to take care of the little problem of luggage. Therefore, forty-five minutes after walking into the airport, I was heading toward the gate, my boarding pass in one hand, a small carryon in the other. The delay the shopping for the bag and its contents had caused me was almost torturous, and I hardly noticed which items I had purchased. They were unimportant, merely props to avoid the suspicion boarding empty-handed would have caused.

Once I had everything I needed, I had stopped by the restrooms to get rid of the tags and pack the newly-purchased items. Worry was eating at me as I passed through all of the security checks. I was desperate to find her, and the sooner the better. It would be preferable if I could do so before she boarded as Trinidad, with its sunny disposition, could prove to be challenging for me. I would worry about that later, though. First, find her.

I was amazed at how easy it was to follow her scent now, even as diluted as it was among the hordes of people inside the building. It was as though my olfactory senses had fine-tuned to detect her unique aroma since I first encountered her scent.

Perhaps they had indeed done just that.

After all, from everything I had learned over the past hundred and some years, one's mate was the perfect match to one in every way. Body, mind, and soul.

I thought about my sire and his mate, Aro and Sulpicia. They were complete opposites in some areas, but those were the areas in which each of them needed balancing. Where Aro was stubborn and headstrong, Sulpicia was flexible and could often see both sides of the argument. Where his mate was light and exuded happiness, Aro tended toward brooding and heavy thoughts. There were similarities, of course. They had the same taste in music, literature, and décor. They both had strong personalities, and each would fight for what they thought to be right and just. As they were one third of the ruling council—Aro's two venom-brothers and their mates comprising the other two-thirds—it was a quality they had expressed often.

Aro had sired me many years after meeting his mate and told me much about mating in the vampire world. With my gift for mind-reading, I was privy to much more information than others, so I thought I had a better understanding of it than others who had received the same instructions from Aro.

I could not have been any more wrong.

The emotions coursing through me were so much stronger than anything I had ever felt or expected to feel. My mind, normally able to focus on several topics at the same time, was completely consumed by this as-yet-unknown woman. Every instinct I possessed was screaming at me to find her—well, find her and then claim her—and I was having a very hard time holding myself back from acting like an animal in heat.

It was only when I finally arrived at the gate that I caught my first glimpse of her. It was only a short peek as she was heading past the door and inside the sleeve. She had long brown hair that was gathered in a tie and reached the middle of her back. She wore a pair of sunglasses that hid her eyes from me, so I could not see their color. Her shirt was blue and made of a light material that allowed me to see the straps of the top she wore beneath it. I wondered what kind of undergarments she was wearing. Was it lacey and risqué or innocent and comfortable? I could not decide which I would prefer on her, but I was eager to find out.

Preferably as I took them off her body.

I stifled a growl and had to adjust myself discreetly. I had been partially aroused since the moment my brain processed the scent of my mate but seeing her in person caused an instantaneous hardening of my body. It was more than simply wanting her now; it was a need as basic as survival.

I followed her path into the airplane and was forced to pause my pursuit while everyone found their seats. I noticed immediately that she was not sitting in First Class and, for once, wished I had purchased a ticket in Economy. There was a thin curtain separating the areas, but it was enough to annoy me. I wanted to see my mate, to touch her, to…

_Breathe. Calm down. You will have her soon._

It was only through great effort that I could listen to my rational side and ignore the animal inside me. It was thrashing, fighting the restraints I had forced upon it.

As people around me continued to take their seats, I was busy making plans. There was little I could do while the plane was still boarding, but as soon as we were in the air, I could walk over and take a better look at her. Perhaps I could introduce myself.

Would she be outgoing and friendly or shy and reserved?

I knew that she would feel the pull. Mating was never one-sided, but with her being human—I caught no vampire scent anywhere near the airport or at the gate, so she had to be a mortal—it was a tossup as to how much the feelings would influence her. She could try to refuse me or play coy.

I growled at the thought and saw several people glancing in my direction. I cut off the sound and schooled my facial expression. I would not allow her to refuse me. It was simply not an option. The mere thought that she might try to deny me was maddening.

_Perhaps I should wait until after we land to approach her._

I could make it look casual as I helped her with her luggage. Picturing it in my mind's eye, I felt better with having to suffer through another delay in the form of several hours of flight.

I rested my head back and pretended to listen to the emergency debriefing of the flight attendant. I was trying to find my lady through the thoughts of those around me. It was harder than one might think.

Some passengers thought about their upcoming vacation, some about finally going back home, and others worried about the people they had left behind or were going to be meeting at their destination. A thought of someone about their significant other gave me pause. What if she was in a relationship already? Or worse—married?

_No. Mine!_

The fury washed over me so quickly that I was ready to tear the faceless man to pieces right there and then. I was prepared to kill him and anyone else standing between my mate and me. She was mine. Mine, mine, mine.

_MINE!_

"Sir?" someone from beside me asked. "Is everything okay?"

I turned my head to the speaker. The voice belonged to a young man in the seat next to me.

"Should I call the flight-attendant?" he continued when I did not answer. From his thoughts, I heard him wondering if he was once again seated next to a deranged passenger.

I shook my head and tried for a tired and weary look. "No, I am fine. It's been a long day."

The man chuckled, and his thoughts calmed. "Yeah, and it's only noon. Business or pleasure?"

"A bit of both," I replied, picking up from his thoughts that he was travelling on business and hoped to "nail a few of hotties" while he was at it. Disgusted with his thoughts—especially when I considered the possibility of my girl being one of those he preyed upon if I had not come across her scent when I had—I gave him a predator's smile. I was pleased to hear the slight quickening of his heartbeat and to smell the fear flooding his body.

"Yeah, same here," he mumbled and turned away.

Good. I would keep an eye on him. Though I was not thirsty at the moment, he could prove to be a good candidate for a meal, should I need one.

_And if there is anyone standing in my way, I will kill him as well._

I felt my smile turn into a smirk before disappearing from my lips. Vampires could, and did, kill for their mates. I would be no different. Anyone and anything that threatened the bond was fair game. If my mate tried to hide behind a previous relationship, I would kill him and take her. If she refused me, if she fought me or rejected the bond…

_Don't think about it_ , ordered my rational side.

I tried to obey my own command but found myself powerless as memories flooded me.

I had been enjoying a few peaceful moments in the sun when I heard Aro's thoughts. He was usually much better guarded about them, so I would not normally have heard him. The lingering pain that those memories were causing my sire was apparently too deep, and they leaked through whatever barriers he had.

Within moments, I was beside him. I found my sire looking…sad.

"What is wrong, Sire?" I asked, curious and concerned.

"Oh, Edward, I did not notice you here." He turned, and his thoughts quieted again. "Nothing is wrong, Child."

"Something made you sad," I insisted. "Shall I call for Sulpicia?" I frowned. _Shouldn't she have been here already?_ Aro had told me that mates felt when the other was distressed, so I thought Sulpicia would have already detected that her mate needed her.

He shook his head, giving me a half-smile. "Your gift is quite powerful to have picked up on my thoughts from such a distance."

I shrugged. My gift could be a blessing and a curse, which was why I spent many days in the surrounding valleys, avoiding others. "I was distracted, not focusing on tuning others out."

"And now you're curious." Aro sighed. "Perhaps I should tell you."

I waited. I was quite impatient, but I knew there was no rushing my sire.

"I do not believe I have ever told you about my brother, Marcus."

"Marcus?" I was puzzled. The only brothers I knew my sire to have were Caius and Carlisle. I had never heard of this Marcus.

He nodded. "It was many years ago. A small eternity."

"But it still hurts you so deeply." I really wished Sulpicia were here. She would have been able to comfort my sire in a way I never could.

"Yes, it does. Marcus was my blood brother. He was changed several years before me, and we found each other only decades into our vampire life. He was proud and wise, but he could be vain and blind to his own faults. As we all are, I suppose." Aro looked away then, turning his gaze to the walls surrounding the city. "Marcus found his mate in a human female. She was a beautiful creature, almost as vain as my own brother." He chuckled. "He courted her, showered her with gifts, and gained the approval of her father to marry her."

I raised a brow. "I did not think we could be patient enough to endure a long courtship with our mate."

"We aren't patient, not usually," Aro agreed. "Marcus…he wanted to prove that he was in control of his nature. Unfortunately, that was the path that ultimately led to his downfall. Didyme—that was the name of Marcus' human mate—had decided to rebel against her father's wishes. She felt the connection, but because she had not been asked for her hand, she felt slighted and ran away. Marcus immediately went after her. He found her in the arms of another."

"He killed him." It was not a question. Even without having a mate of my own, I knew that I would kill any man who laid his hands on my future mate after I found her.

My sire nodded. "He did, and Didyme turned on him. She screamed and tried to attack Marcus. She yelled that she would never be his, would never love him, would never lie with him. She swore to kill herself before allowing him to touch her."

I froze, sensing that whatever was coming next was not good.

"Marcus…something inside him snapped." Aro took a deep breath, and I could see the scene play out in his mind. He was remembering a tall, dark-haired male—Marcus—standing before a blonde human female, who was screaming at him. Marcus had brought his mate to the mansion where Aro and he were staying at the time. He had suffered through days upon days of his mate's refusals and angry words, growing angrier and wilder with each passing sunset. After five days, Marcus went to her room for the last time and…

"He killed her?" I was appalled. "How? How is that possible? She was his mate!" It was one of the few things I thought impossible. Deliberately harming one's own mate? Unheard of!

"As I said, something snapped in his mind." His eyes and thoughts were pained when he turned them back to me. "Marcus burned the house, with him still inside, holding the cooling body of his mate."

"He could not exist without her," I whispered, still flabbergasted at the revelation.

He nodded.

"Has it ever happened again?" I was even more shocked when Aro nodded again. "How is it I have never heard of it? How has no one ever heard of it?"

"It is a very rare occurrence," he explained. "Except for Marcus, I know of only one other couple, and I have lived for more than three millennia and have met countless vampires."

I saw it in his mind. A nomad's thoughts that told him of how said nomad had found his mate in a human female who had rejected him. The nomad's mind snapped, and he turned on her, killing her. He had come to Aro seeking to end his own existence.

"Is it always like that with human mates?" I asked, shaken to my core.

"No, thankfully, no." My sire smiled, his thoughts lifting as he recalled other couples he had met over the centuries. "Our very own Carlisle had found his mate, Esme, when she was still human, you remember their story, do you not?"

"I do." Carlisle was the third brother to join the ruling council, following Caius who had been with Aro for centuries by then. The three mated couples shared the responsibility of ruling the vampire race. "Esme sensed the connection as deeply as her human physique could allow her."

"She did." He looked to the side, and I knew he had sensed his mate long before I heard her thoughts coming from that direction. "The connection between mates is so deep, the pull so strong, that we recognize each other on the most basic level."

"And why wouldn't we?" asked Sulpicia, coming to stand beside him. She slid her hand into her mate's, and I sensed the calming effect the contact had on both of them. "A mate is one's perfect match, the perfect balance to our soul. Mates understand each other better than anyone else on the face of the Earth ever could."

"Well said, Cia." My sire smiled at her, and I quickly said my goodbyes. I wanted to leave the mates to their own as much as I wanted to ponder over what I had just learned.

I had not thought about that particular memory in decades. Now, it came rushing at me, with the full clarity that only a vampire mind could provide. It was followed by fear, consuming and disabling terror.

_No, I am not going to lose her!_

I clenched my fists and fought the emotions threatening to drown me. It took me several moments to realize that the terror I sensed was not solely my own. I was already sensing some of the emotions coming from my mate. She was scared. Petrified.

I was out of my seat before the man beside me could blink. In the next heartbeat, I was standing in the middle of the aisle in economy class, my eyes searching for the threat to my mate.

"Sir? Can I help you?" someone asked me.

I shook my head, barely recognizing the speaker as one of the flight attendants.

I saw no threat, at least nothing obvious. The people were all sitting in their places, some had their eyes closed as they tried to fall asleep.

"Sir, please return to your seat," the flight attendant continued. "We are experiencing some turbulence," she explained.

It was then that I saw her. Well, the top of her head. She sat in the row before last. Her head was bent down, her face hidden from me. I focused on the newly formed connection I had with her and tried to sift through the thoughts I was hearing to find the ones belonging to my mate.

_I am NEVER flying again…a boat back…cancel the return ticket…_

I relaxed as soon as I realized the threat causing her so much fear was not external.

"Sir?"

"I will return momentarily. Need to use the bathroom," I said.

The flight attendant nodded but frowned. _Arrogant idiot. Fine, but if you get piss all over yourself, don't come complaining. Thank God I'm not on toilet duty today!_

I glared at her and was pleased when she walked away quickly. I returned my attention to my mate. She seemed to be afraid of flying, and I wanted to comfort her. Unfortunately, the seat beside her was occupied.

I could not continue to stand there in the middle of the aisle without drawing even more attention to myself, so I followed through with my words and went toward the small compartment that served as the bathroom and spent a few moments inside. Perhaps I could switch my seat with the elderly woman sitting next to my mate. I had yet to meet a human who would refuse an upgrade to First Class free of charge.

It was hard to turn my back to my mate, but I needed to speak to the staff if I wanted to change seats. It took some finessing and a small bribe—it always amazed me what humans would do for money—but I managed to talk myself into changing seating arrangements.

However, even with the bribe, I had to wait until the turbulence subsided before the switch could be made. It was not safe for the humans to be standing while the airplane was shaking. Someone might fall, and the flight attendant was worried they would sue the company if they did. Reluctantly, I agreed to wait in my seat.

The next few hours were even harder than the delay in the airport had been. I had no task I could focus my mind on, so all of my thoughts were consumed with the desire to be with my mate. I could feel the traces of fear coming from her and had to grit my teeth to remain in my seat. Her emotions were spiking each time the plane shook, even slightly, and I wanted to hold her in my arms, to provide her comfort that only I—as her mate—could.

Nearly halfway through the flight, I was ready to jump out of my seat and the hell with safety. I found that, once again, I could not hear her thoughts. Perhaps it was a matter of physical distance or a latent gift that shielded them from me, but she was completely silent to me. To distract myself from the constant worry for my mate—and the frustration at my gift failing me at the one time in my long existence when I needed it most—I decided to listen in on the conversation in the cockpit. It was something to focus on while I fought to remain seated. Even though I did not understand everything the pilots were saying, I was able to get the general idea that they were focusing on flying the plane through the abnormal amount of turbulence we were experiencing. I had never bothered learning to operate an aircraft, so some of the terms the pilots used were foreign to me. _Perhaps that could be the next field of study for me to explore. After I am done exploring my mate_ , I thought, and desire again rose inside me.

I was momentarily distracted by the wonderful images my mind was painting of my mate's naked and delicious body explored by me, so I missed the first signs of trouble. The Captain and First Officer were both concerned, their thoughts running through technical terms I suddenly wished I understood. Frustrated, I listened as they both grew more anxious about the situation.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday," the First Officer called, and I realized that something was wrong, very wrong.

Any novice, even those who knew nothing about piloting an aircraft, knew what repeating that term three times meant. We were in trouble.

A moment later, the plane started to shake even more violently than before. Then, this flying piece of metal took a dive and began dropping from the sky.

_Fuck!_

I knew I had to act quickly. There was no time for caring about avoiding discovery. We were going down, and I needed to get to my mate. I heard the other passengers scream, but she made no sound, and something inside me froze for the few fractions of a second it took me to reach her seat.

The plane continued its downward plunge, and I could see we were approaching water from a brief glance through the windows. The people on board stood no chance of surviving, I realized. Hitting the water at the speed we were travelling would mean instant death.

For everyone but me.

I did not care about everyone. There was only one person aboard this doomed plane I needed to survive.

My mate.

She was staring out the window, her breathing shallow and her heartbeat rapid. I knew I only had seconds before we hit the water, but seconds were all I needed. Acting faster than human eyes could see, I tore the seatbelt holding my mate's fragile body anchored to the seat and pressed her flush against me. The pleasure of making contact with her was almost overshadowed by the danger she was still in, but I felt my chest rumble and knew I was responding instinctively to her proximity.

Wanting to give her the best chance of survival I possibly could, I snatched a life vest from under her seat and placed it on her before grabbing a couple of blankets and heading toward the emergency exit. I could have kicked an opening in the body of the plane from where she had been sitting, but the sharp edges it would no doubt have left were an unnecessary risk, even with her wrapped in the blankets I took. Their material was too thin to provide much protection against torn metal.

I broke the window above the emergency exit then reached for the handle. It took some force, but finally, the door flew outward. The rapid wind blew my mate's hair toward my face, blinding me momentarily. Making sure to keep my arms wrapped firmly around my mate, I jumped from the doomed plane and twisted so that I was the one to hit the water first. It was a short fall, but I knew it knocked the breath out of my mate when I heard her stifled cry as we went into the ocean.

Kicking up, I pushed us back to the surface of the water. At the same time, I pulled the handle that would inflate the vest on her body. She was limp in my arms as we broke the surface of the ocean, but I could hear the steady beating of her heart and felt the rise of her chest as she breathed.

She fainted. I supposed the stress was too much for her.

Looking down at her face for the first time, I marveled at her. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Her face was heart-shaped and small. Long lashes hid her eyes from me, so I still knew not their color, but the plumpness of her lips almost made resisting the urge to kiss her impossible. Her small chin was calling to me to nibble on it. The first taste of her skin was salty from the ocean water as I gave in to the desire to kiss her jaw. Had we been anywhere else, I would not have bothered to fight the desire to bite her and initiate the change. The softness of her skin was almost as enticing as the sight of her long neck as she lay in my arms.

However, it was not the time nor the place for it. I needed her safe and secure before inducing her transformation into an immortal. It would also be wise to speak with her, allow her to sense the pull consciously before doing so. Awakening as a vampire was confusing enough without doing so in the presence of a stranger to whom you were inexplicably attracted to.

Tearing my gaze from my mate, I looked around us. There was land in the distance, and I decided it would be a good idea to get us to shore. Gathering my mate carefully in my arms, I began swimming toward the shore. Her safety was—and forever would be—my first priority, so I kept her body atop mine and out of the water as much as was possible as I increased my speed.

Even as part of my mind was busy making plans, I could not help the joy that filled me.

_You are mine. Forever._


	2. Deserted Island

_Thank you to LeeorV (aka hubby, he's totally awesome for reading everything I write) for his help in editing this story._

* * *

**Chapter Two – Deserted Island**

**Edward**

It was quite sunny when we finally reached dry land, which turned out to be a very small island. By my calculations, we were a good fifty miles to the south of the crash zone. While I could still see traces of the smoke from the wreckage as they drifted up into the sky, I doubted any rescuers would bother to search for survivors on this small piece of land.

I looked down at the still figure of my mate lying in my arms and allowed myself to marvel at her beauty for a few seconds. She was still unconscious, and I needed to make sure she was not harmed.

Picking her up, I moved away from the shoreline and into the trees. Even if it was unlikely for humans to look this far for survivors, it was better not to leave it to chance. Placing my mate on a bed of hastily-gathered leaves, I began checking her for injuries.

Starting with her head, I made sure that she had no bumps or cuts hidden by the long tresses of brown silk. Once I was certain that there was no head injury that I needed to worry about, I moved on to the rest of her body. Having no clothes but the ones we were wearing, I took extra care in stripping off her shirt and jeans. I would later spread them to dry along with the blankets I had grabbed from the plane, but for now, I laid everything next to her in a wet pile. I was both amused and pleased to find my mate wearing an innocent and unmatching set of white bra and pink panties beneath her clothes. Women wore sexy and matching lingerie when they were expecting another to see them. I knew that this simple fact did not definitively point toward her not having a man in her life, but I took it as a good indication of her not being involved with anyone.

Her skin was soft as I carefully trailed my fingers over every exposed inch of her, loving the warmth that was spreading through my body. The possessiveness I had initially felt toward her was also growing, and I knew that I would do anything, kill anyone, to have her. For the first time in my very long life, I finally understood what could have led to those males harming their mates.

The need to be with her, to have her belong to me and no one else, it was almost maddening. I was growling before I even realized it at the mere thought that she might refuse me.

_No, I will not accept that. She is mine._

The rage was so overwhelming, so blinding, that I found myself with my mouth against her throat, licking and sucking at the base of her neck with thoughts of biting her at the forefront of my mind.

_This is where I will leave my mark,_ I thought, giving in to my inner animal for a moment. _This is where I will bite and make her like me, claiming her forever._

She whimpered, and I froze. I was on top of her, having only enough sense to lean most of my weight on my forearms as my body caged hers beneath me. My knees were outside hers, my chest flush against her breasts, and my arms on the ground on each side of her.

I held my unneeded breath as I waited for my mate to awaken and open her eyes.

She did not.

I listened to her whimper again and watched as she tossed her head to one side and then to the other, mumbling something indistinguishable under her breath. Acting on instinct more than coherent thought, I leaned in to place a soft kiss on her forehead.

She sighed in contentment, and I loved the way her lips curved in a ghost of a smile.

Like a small kitten against its mother, she tried to cuddle closer to me and mewled in protest when she could not. Curious and more than a little fascinated, I allowed her to push me to lie beside her. I was shocked when she curled into the curve of my body, laying her head on my shoulder and her palm on my chest, right above my still heart. Before my mind could catch up to the desire flooding my veins, my mate had settled her leg between mine, her knee resting close enough to my crotch to make me both hopeful and careful.

She was still unhappy, judging by the groans coming from her, and it took me a few moments to realize that she was tugging at my clothes and trying to take them off. With the arm she was not using as a pillow, I quickly unbuttoned my shirt. Gently lifting us both, I removed it from my torso and watched in amazement as my mate did not open her eyes at all.

Her breath was incredibly warm against my naked skin as we lay back down. Her hand began moving across my chest, leaving small fires everywhere she caressed me. When her fingers reached my belt, I was close to coming undone.

I nearly tore the pants I wore from my body, kicking them off as soon as the belt and zipper were undone. It was only then, when we were both in our underwear, that she was finally satisfied. With a deep purr—I had no other way to describe the sound she made—she pressed herself as close to my body as she could and placed a kiss on my chest. Her leg was once again lying between mine, tormenting me, and her palm splayed above my heart.

"Mine," she mumbled. It was so quiet that I had almost missed it.

I smirked, more than a little pleased. It seemed that my sire had been right, as usual. My mate's subconscious already felt, even while she was still human, the deep possessiveness that one mate felt toward the other.

As I let my own eyes fall close, I wrapped my other arm around my mate and allowed myself to relax. I could not truly sleep, but I could enjoy a few hours of basking in my mate's presence.

o.O.o

**Bella**

I was surrounded by warmth and comfort, and I really did not want to wake up. Somewhere in that space between sleep and awareness, I only cared that I felt no more fear. I couldn't really remember much, but what remnants of dreams that still lingers didn't seem very nice. A plane diving into water, metal screeching as it twisted, and then the cold ocean surrounding me.

Cringing away from those images, I focused on others. They were much less clear, but they were more pleasant. Strong, muscular arms wrapping themselves protectively around my body and holding me safe from harm. A flash of reddish-brown hair and a strong face, its jaw set with determination.

I sighed as awareness finally broke through the sleepy haze of dreams. I knew I should open my eyes and get ready for the day. I still had a plane to catch, which kind of explained my dreams of it crashing and of myself drowning—the latter was my biggest fear—but I wanted a little more time in bed.

My dream-man had taken care of me, held me when I was afraid, and I really didn't want to leave him just yet. I wasn't ready for reality to set in, but it slowly had, and I gasped in shock when I finally opened my eyes.

_Am I still dreaming?_

The pale light of a full moon was perfectly outlined in the surprisingly clear night sky as it reflected in the quiet waters of the sea. There were a few trees around me, giving me shelter from what during daytime would no doubt be a scorching sun, but they thinned out within a few feet. There was something menacing about the black branches as they whispered in the breeze.

I shivered as a jolt of fear washed over me. _Where the hell am I?_

Looking down, I saw that I wasn't wearing much and quickly wrapped my arms around me. The bra and panties offered nothing in the warming department, but at least they gave me the comfort of not being completely naked.

I felt tears forming in my eyes as I curled my feet up and looked carefully around me. It was eerily quiet, and I didn't know if it was better or worse than hearing all the regular sounds of the forest at night.

I didn't dare close my eyes, but I forced myself to breathe deeply several times. My heart was racing so fast that I could feel the beat in my pulse points.

"Calm, Little One," someone suddenly said.

My head snapped in the direction the voice had come from, but I could see no one. "Who's there? Who are you? Where am I?" I hated that my voice shivered, but I couldn't help myself.

I remembered everything suddenly. Well, everything from the point when I realized the plane was doomed and up until I was jostled out of my seat and into the cold ocean. I must have lost consciousness after hitting the water. Was he part of the rescue team? It was possible, but then why was it so quiet here? Shouldn't there be more people searching for survivors?

"My name is Edward," he said.

This time, his voice was louder, and I assumed it was because he was coming closer to me. I was both afraid and excited to see the owner of the voice. It was smooth and soft, and it felt almost as if it was caressing me.

"Do you remember the flight?"

I still couldn't see him, and I was trying really hard to look between the shadowed trees. "Yes," I said quietly, surprised that I felt calmer, causing my voice to steady. "It crashed."

"Yes, it did." There was a rustle of leaves from somewhere to my right, and I turned to finally see a figure coming toward me. Even with the light of the full moon, it was too dark to see more than just the outline of a large and distinctively male figure. It looked like he was carrying something in his arms. "As to where we are, it is a good question. I cannot be certain, as this seems to be an uninhabited island. However, based on the length of time we have been in the air prior to the crash, I would guess that we are somewhere in the Caribbean Sea."

That did not tell me much. The only thing that came to mind when he said Caribbean Sea was the movie with Johnny Depp that Jessica Stanley had dragged me to see in the cinema. Depp wasn't really my cup of tea—he was just a little too weird—but I would never tell that to Jess. Then, something he said clicked. "Uninhabited island?"

"Yes," he said. "I did a walk around it. It is very small, and there are no signs of any human inhabitants."

He was slowly coming closer, and now I could see more than just the general impression of a tall, muscular, and very manly figure. His hair was longer than what most men wore these days, reaching just under his chin. His shoulders were wide under the partially-buttoned dress shirt he wore, and his hips were narrow, clad in a pair of dark pants. Despite his somewhat disheveled appearance, he seemed confident and competent.

When he was just a few feet away from me, I finally got a good look at his face. My mouth dropped in amazement. _Damn, can you say sexy as hell?_

His face had strong features—a firm jawline, high cheekbones, and luscious lips that made me wonder what it would feel like to touch them with my own. Feeling myself blush at the thought of kissing this stranger, I found myself meeting his gaze. It was too dark to see the exact color of his eyes, but I did not miss the intensity with which he was watching me. The man oozed confidence and sex appeal. I quickly looked down and tucked my knees even closer to my body. I was embarrassed at being practically naked in front of him, and I knew that I had no business lusting after him. He was clearly way out of my league, and I didn't want to make a fool out of myself.

Before I could take my next breath, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder that made me shiver.

"You must be cold," he said. "Here."

Something warm settled over my shoulders. From its texture, I knew instantly that it wasn't anything of mine. It was too smooth, and it felt almost like I'd imagined silk would feel against my skin.

"Thank you," I murmured quietly.

Tugging what turned out to be a man's shirt around my shoulders, I finally noticed the scent clinging to it. Though I couldn't tell what exactly made it so appealing to me, I still took several deep breaths just to get more of the aroma. It was a scent that made me think of home, of comfort and love, of all the things that I'd been wishing for these past months since losing my parents.

"You're very welcome, Little One." The softness of his voice caressed me almost as softly as the fabric of his shirt.

I looked up and met his gaze again. He was standing with the moonlight at his back, so I couldn't see the color of his eyes, but I was amazed at the gentleness in his expression. There was something about it… No, it was something about _him_ that made me feel safe.

When his hand reached to cup my cheek, I didn't think as I leaned into his touch. His hand was slightly chilly, but it was even smoother than the silk of the shirt. I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, savoring the touch and the feeling it brought to life inside me. A soft sound that was somewhere between a groan and a growl came from him, and I snapped my eyes open to find him staring at me.

My heart was suddenly lodged in my throat, the blood pumping so loudly in my veins that it nearly deafened me. The man, Edward, was looking at me with hunger that had nothing to do with food. His thumb moved from my cheek to caress my bottom lip, his touch feather light.

"So soft," he whispered so quietly that I wouldn't have heard him if he wasn't so close to me.

His other hand came to rest on my other cheek, effectively cupping my face in his hands. _What is going on here? I feel like his touch is something I have waited for all of my life, but I only just met him!_

As if reading my confusion on my face, Edward pulled gently away. I wanted to protest when his fingers left my skin, missing his touch as soon as contact was broken, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"There was not much I was able to rescue from the plane before it crashed into the water," Edward said. His voice was slightly husky, and I wondered if it was because he was as affected as I was.

_Of course he's not_ , my rational side chided.

"However, I was able to grab a couple of blankets that should keep us warm for the night."

He was frowning now, and I wondered why. Was it because we were forced to spend the night together?

"Didn't they get wet when we went into the water?" I asked.

He nodded. "They dried during the day while you slept."

"Oh." Looking down at my hands, I saw that I was still clutching his shirt to my body. "If you don't mind bringing me one, I could return your shirt to you."

His frown disappeared at my words and was replaced with a smile that seemed a little wicked to me. It felt as if he was thinking something very naughty and, even without knowing his thoughts, it made me blush and look away from him.

I heard the rustle he made when he stood up again, but I didn't look at him. If I was wearing his shirt, he would be bare-chested. I had no hope of having any kind of coherent conversation with him if I looked at him without his shirt on. His shadowy silhouette had given me enough of an idea of how wonderful his physique must be that I could imagine him well enough. My cheeks were practically burning by now, and I missed whatever it was that he said next, which made me even more embarrassed. "Um, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"You can keep the shirt," he said, his tone not the least bit amused as I expected it to be. "I shall bring the blankets and start a fire. Will you be all right on your own for a few minutes?"

I nodded, not daring to look at him. As soon as he walked away, I could slide my arms into the sleeves of the shirt and button it up, making myself a little more decent.

"Very well, I shall see you in a little while."

I listened to his footsteps as he walked away. They were very faint, so I waited a few more seconds before uncoiling myself.

o.O.o

**Edward**

I had to take several deep gulps of the forest-scented air before I could clear my lustful thoughts away. The male and vampire inside me found it was very hard not to think of what I wanted to do to my beautiful, half-naked mate. The only reason I left her sleeping form alone had been to gain some measure of control over my own urges.

I wanted her so much that it was a gnawing ache inside me, demanding a release. It took the better part of twenty minutes of running the perimeter of the island before I felt enough in control of myself to return to her.

By the time I reached her, she had awakened, and I was mesmerized by the play of the moonlight on her skin as she gathered her thoughts. As soon as I sensed her fear, I made my presence known. It felt good, right, to take care of her, even if I could offer nothing more than the shirt I wore at that moment.

I took the blankets I had previously laid to dry, shaking the sand off them, and slowly made my way back to where I left my mate. There were no matches, but I could use friction to start a fire that would keep her warm through the night. Food and water would soon become a problem—for her much sooner than for me. While I could go on for another week without sustenance, having fed just shortly prior to going out and catching her scent, my mate would need it within hours.

Thinking about several possible solutions to that particular problem, I made sure to shuffle my feet and make enough noise as to not startle my mate as I approached her again.

"You're back," she said, sounding relieved.

I frowned. Had she thought I would leave her alone? Listening carefully to her thoughts, I found it was once again almost impossible for me to hear them. It was as though the closer I got to her—both physically and mentally—the harder they became to detect. I caught nothing but the general sensation of fear and worry about the darkness.

"Yes. I would not leave you alone on this island," I promised. The truth was that I would never leave her, that even parting with her for a few hours would be difficult for the first few decades. She would learn that soon enough, and I knew speaking of it now would make her even more uneasy, so I dropped the matter. "Here is the blanket."

"Thank you." She took it from me and wrapped it around her shoulders, giving me a small and grateful smile in return.

I could not help but return it. She looked so seductive wearing only my shirt and the blanket. Even with both fabrics around her body, they only covered her to mid-thigh, and my thoughts turned lustful again. Through steel willpower, I tore my eyes away from the invitation she was not even aware of giving me.

"I've gathered some wood for a fire," she said, pointing toward a pile of branches. "Then I realized that we had no matches."

The apology in her voice was clear for me to hear, and I held back a roar of anger. She did not need to apologize! It was my duty, my honor, and my pleasure to take care of her.

_She will learn that soon enough_ , I thought. "That is true, but there are ways to start a fire without matches." Spreading the second blanket on a patch of ground where we had slept earlier, I gestured for her to sit on top of it. "Make yourself comfortable while I take care of lighting the fire."

I waited until she was seated before walking toward the wood she had gathered. There were no green branches or wet wood in the pile, and I wondered if she had frequently gone camping with her friends or her family. From what little interaction I had had with human females in the past decades, I knew most had little survival skills and even less desire to learn them.

Complimenting her on her good work with gathering firewood, I enjoyed seeing the happiness shine in her eyes. They were a deep brown color that I discovered I liked very much, especially when they were looking at me with hunger in them. Knowing I had a pleasing physique from other female's thoughts was nothing compared to seeing the desire reflected in my mate's eyes as she took in my half-naked body.

It was simple enough to use my natural speed to produce the friction required for the initial spark. It was much harder to continue building the fire slowly while under the watchful eye of my mate. I could almost feel her gaze as a physical caress over my skin, igniting a fire much hotter than the one I was building. However, the innocence I could see in her face every time I looked provided me with assurance that there was no male in her life—no male other than myself.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Bella," she replied quietly. A glance at her direction told me she was watching the fire carefully, seemingly mesmerized by the flickering flames that slowly caught onto thicker pieces of wood. "Bella Swan."

"Edward Masen," I said, using my current alias. I had lived under many different names during my long life. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

She giggled at my formality but shook the hand I offered. "So, Edward, what do you do when you're not stuck on an uninhabited island with a stranger?"

Smiling at her, I lowered my body to sit next to hers. I wanted to touch her again but decided keeping a small distance between us would be best for now.

"I travel the world and oversee my family's business interests," I said, being intentionally vague. "My family is based in Italy, but we have some investments in the United States that I have been taking care of recently."

I was not lying, per se, but it was a bit too soon for her to hear the whole truth.

"What kind of business?" she asked and quickly added, "If you don't mind my asking."

"I do not mind, but it is not very interesting, I'm afraid. We deal with medical supplies to healthcare facilities."

She shivered.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" I was reaching to wrap the blanket tighter around her shoulders when she shook her head.

"When you said medical supplies, all I could think of were needles, and I hate them."

"Oh." I relaxed but did not remove my hold on the front of her blanket. "That is a common enough fear, I suppose."

"I guess." She shrugged. "Not a fan of blood, either. It makes me faint."

I raised an eyebrow and tried to keep the smile away from my face. _Oh, the irony_. "Not being able to stand the sight of blood is also common, I believe."

"No, not the sight of it." She wrinkled her nose. "It's the smell."

I froze in shock. "The smell?"

"Yes, it smells salty and rusty." The face she made caused me to chuckle. It was so adorable that I only had enough control to resist kissing the tip of her small nose. "I faint if I smell it, even if it's my own."

Taking her hand in mine, I let out a small sigh at the pleasure the contact brought me. I placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand. Then, I turned it palm up and met my mate's eyes as I lowered my lips to place another soft kiss there. I said nothing as I continued to kiss a path from her palm to the pulse point in her wrist.

Breathing deeply, I let out a growl I knew she could not yet hear. The floral scent that had pulled me from across an entire city was assaulting my every sense. "Then let us make sure you spill none, for I do not want you to faint. I can promise you, though, that I will always catch you if you were to fall."

A shiver ran down her body at my words, but I knew it was desire and not the chill causing it this time. Her eyes met mine, and I saw the kindles of desire in them. There was also confusion and apprehension there, so I slowly lowered our hands and let go of her wrist. I had to proceed carefully with this gentle filly, seduce her slowly into my arms.

"What about you, Bella?" I asked quietly, deciding that a change of topic was in order. "What do you do when you are not stuck on an uninhabited island with a stranger?"

She smiled at my use of her own words. "Nothing much." She shrugged, and I hated seeing the sadness that filled her eyes. "I've been attending community college in Forks, Washington, up until a little while ago, but my parents…my parents were killed in a car accident a few months ago, and I just needed some time off, away from everything."

It was clear that the grief was still raw inside her as her voice shook and her eyes filled with tears. Not pausing to think, I picked up her small form and settled her on my lap before wrapping both arms around her body, cradling her in my embrace.

She broke down, the words falling from her lips in disjointed sentences, but I was able to gather most of the details. A drunk driver had killed her parents in an accident not far from their home. After grieving for weeks and dealing with all the legal details, she could not stand the grief of the townsfolk around her on top of her own and chose to go on away on a short vacation, only realizing she was terrified of flying after the plane was already in the air.

"Shh… It's okay," I whispered to her, caressing her up and down her back as she burrowed deeper into my chest. I could feel the wetness of her tears as they continued to fall from her eyes. "You are not alone, my Bella, never again."

I continued to whisper comforting words to her as she cried, realizing she had so much pent-up emotion that needed an outlet.

Finally, her tears dried, but she did not make a move to leave my embrace. It seemed that, like me, she enjoyed the physical contact between us.

"Thank you," she mumbled, and I felt her let out a long sigh against my skin. "I suppose I needed a good cry."

"You are most welcome, my Bella." I placed a kiss atop her head. "Anything you need and is within my power, you shall have."

She stilled, and I read the note of disbelief and confusion in her thoughts. She seemed to be wondering why I would care so much after knowing her for so little time, not understanding the pull she felt toward me or the reason why she still did not want to move away from me.

"You will understand soon enough, my Bella," I said. "For now, would you like me to tell you about my family's estate in Italy? Have you ever been to Italy?"

She shook her head.

"It is beautiful," I promised and proceeded to tell her of the country where I had spent the better part of a century after being reborn. I avoided any details that would reveal my true nature. There would be enough time to share that with my mate later, when she was ready.


	3. Revelations

**Bella**

The warmth of the fire was second only to the heat I felt coming from the male body that was currently holding me in his embrace. A part of me knew that I should untangle myself from Edward and return to sit beside him on the blanket. Another part, a much bigger one, refused to even consider separation from him. It was as if something inside me changed in the past few hours, though I couldn't place the exact moment when that change had begun. Was it the first time I met his dark eyes? Was it the first time he held me?

When _was_ the first time he held me? I wondered. Suddenly, I wasn't sure of the answer. I searched my memories and tried to pinpoint the first time I felt his touch. My memories of the crash were jumbled, so I wasn't sure how I ended up leaving the plane and taking a swim in the ocean. There was a figment of memory that involved a life jacket and then hitting the cold water, but that was all I could recall.

Then…nothing. The first clear recollection after that was waking up on the shore of this island with Edward.

Edward.

I sighed. His name suited him. Somewhat old-fashioned and formal. Most guys these days would have gone by Ed or Eddie, but those nicknames didn't seem right for the man holding me. The man who seemed to care a great deal for me, and who—if I were being honest with myself—I was coming to care a great deal for, as well.

His voice was warm and pleasant as he spoke of the country he'd come from. Italy. I'd never been curious about it or considered visiting it, but the way Edward painted it with his words made me crave to be there, to experience the sun, the valleys, the air…everything.

And I wanted to experience it with Edward.

_Now that is a scary thought. I've only known him for a day, not even that, but I feel like I would never let him go. What would I do if he left me?_

That question left me cold inside. I wouldn't survive him leaving me.

As anxiety began to spread through my body, I pressed myself harder against Edward, pushing my nose into the crook of his neck and placing my hand over his heart. Just the thought of never seeing him again made my breath catch in my throat and the blood run cold in my veins.

"Hush, Little One," he whispered softly into my hair, and I felt him place a kiss on my shoulder, over the fabric of his shirt. "I'm not going anywhere. You're safe with me, in my arms."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, tasting the wonderful essence of him in the air. It was so confusing, so…weird. Yet, at the same time, it just felt right.

_Like this is where I'm supposed to be, with whom I'm supposed to be with._

Edward brought one hand to cover mine, which still lay on his chest—his bare chest— and brushed his fingers over mine. "There is no reason to fear, Little One. I would let nothing and no one hurt you, never again," he vowed.

I felt myself smiling, despite the emotional roller-coaster that seemed to be taking me on a ride. I believed him. I didn't know why, but I did.

"Do you have family living in Italy?" I asked after a few more moments of silence between us.

"In a way, yes," he said. "My sire, Aro, lives in Volterra, with his wife, Sulpicia."

It was an odd way to say father. The word seemed almost…archaic. There was deep respect in his voice as he spoke of Aro, and I wondered if Edward would have a chance to see his father again, if we would find a way to get off this island before we starved to death.

"…he does not leave Italy very often, as he is a very busy man, but he loves to hear about the places I visit," Edward continued. "He would be very excited to meet you, my Bella."

"Me?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes, you." He brought his hand under my chin and gently pushed my face up to meet his gaze. "You should know that you are mine now, my Bella, and I would let nothing separate us."

There was such intensity in his eyes, in his voice. I believed him. I didn't know why, but I did. He continued to hold my gaze with his intense dark one, seemingly waiting for me to say something.

Did he expect me to object? Or did he want to hear me accept him? Did I?

Edward said I belonged to him. Did that mean he belonged to me as well? Or was he one of those guys who thought that what was good for the gander wasn't good for the geese?

"You are mine," he repeated, his eyes growing even darker. I didn't know if the flames I could see in them were the reflection of the fire behind us or of his inner blaze. "And I am yours."

And then he leaned closer to me, and I knew I was about to be kissed like I'd never been kissed before. My breath hitched, and I couldn't look away from the flames in his eyes as he continued to close the distance between us.

At the first touch of his lips against mine, I let my eyelids fall close and felt my heart give out a sigh. _There. This is where I am meant to be._

He kissed me slowly, gently, and I found myself soaring. All thoughts escaped me, and all I could do was feel.

And feel I did.

Cherished, loved, aroused, revered.

There was everything in his kiss. He was everything. There was no room for doubt inside me. There was only him. His soft lips brushing against mine, his large hands gently cupping my face, and his comforting body cradling my own.

I let out a sigh that turned into a moan when Edward slid his tongue between my lips. The taste of him exploded on my tongue. Salty, sweet, exotic. I couldn't find the right words to describe it. He was exploring my mouth, tasting me as though I was the most delicious food he'd ever had.

I could relate to that. _Nothing ever tasted as good as he does_.

He was murmuring something against my lips, and it sounded foreign and just as exotic as him. And though I didn't understand the words, I understood the emotion behind them. Because I felt the same. Elated, amazed, intoxicated.

I was floating on a cloud yet grounded to the earth by this amazing man. My heart was pounding inside me, but it was not in fear. It was in excitement, in anticipation. The lightheadedness that filled me had nothing to do with lack of oxygen and everything to do with desire. I found myself sucking on Edward's tongue, moaning in a way that would have made me blush at any other time.

A hunger rose inside me, hunger for this man. A need that was more basic than breathing. I found myself threading my fingers in Edward's hair, wrapping my legs around his waist, and clinging to him with all my might. The kiss became wild as he slanted his mouth across mine and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on it. His hands splayed across my back, pressing me closer to his chest, and I felt as though I couldn't get close enough.

_Crawling inside his skin isn't going to be close enough_.

"Oh, God, my Bella," Edward murmured as he pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. He was breathing just as heavily as I was. "I never imagined it would be this strong. I never thought…"

Even as reality slowly settled upon me, cooling down some of the fire that his kiss had ignited inside me, I relished the heat. I could feel him against me, and while I knew my cheeks were burning bright red, I still tightened the hold my legs had on him.

His eyes were molten lava when I opened mine to meet his gaze. I knew that he probably saw the same feelings reflected in mine.

Edward's lips curved gently at the corners in a sinful smile. "I should have known…" He didn't finish, but I didn't care. Because, in the next moment, his lips touched mine again.

There was no hesitation now, just pure desire. He took my breath away and gave me his. He kissed me deeply now, with long strokes of his tongue and hard pulls of his lips. For the first time in my life, I understood the meaning of being devoured.

An ache began to grow inside me. It started at the pit of my stomach and slowly rose to settle in my heart. The kiss was no longer enough, the closeness of our bodies was not enough. I need more.

As if reading my mind, Edward pulled away the blanket that had pooled between us and threw it aside. Next was his shirt that I still wore. Buttons flew everywhere under the impatient hands that tore at it. I didn't know if it were Edward's fingers or mine—perhaps it was both—but soon the shirt and the bra I wore beneath it were gone.

I moaned when my heated skin finally— _finally_ —made contact with his bare chest, and small flames began to dance on the surface at every contact point between his skin and mine. I wanted him. Oh, Lord, I needed him.

There was nothing around me except Edward. There was no air in my lungs beside the air I stole from his lips, no warmth in my body beside the blaze his caresses created between us, no sound but the harsh labored breaths shared between us.

I sucked and tugged and pulled and bit, and the sounds Edward made let me know that he enjoyed everything I was doing to him. I grew bold, finding confidence that I didn't know existed inside me, and raked my fingernails over his back. I didn't know if I was leaving red angry marks against his skin, but I knew I brought him pleasure as his lips and hands encouraged me. It seemed like Edward was in perfect agreement with me about not being able to get close enough. His mouth left mine and moved to lick up and down my neck, his hands coming up to cup my now-bare breasts.

I panted, taking great gulps of air, but I was still breathless. His touch felt so good, so right. His mouth left wet patches of skin as he nibbled down my throat to my shoulders before moving even further down. I couldn't help but look down as he placed butterfly-soft kisses on my breasts.

The sight of his long pale fingers against my equally-as-pale flesh was enthralling. Seeming to sense my gaze, he looked up and smirked. I let my tongue out, wetting my suddenly dry lips.

"I hunger for you so much, my Bella," he murmured. His fingers continued to move, to massage, to pinch, to torment me with pleasure so great that I felt I was almost on the verge of pain. "I have never wanted a woman in my life as I want you."

A twinge of insecurity and fear sparked inside me. He'd been with other women. There was no doubt about that. I'd never let anyone get past the kissing stage. Would I even be able to please him? Was I ready to allow him to take something I'd given no other?

"Ti Amo, mia bellissima," he said softly. Without looking away from me, he opened his mouth wide and took one full breast inside.

I cried out in shock and pleasure as he began to suckle. Deep, hard, long pulls of his mouth that scattered every thought in my head that wasn't about him, about what he was doing to me, about what I desperately wanted him to do to me.

Some distant part of my brain lingered on the words he'd spoken. Love. Was it possible? Could he feel that emotion so quickly? Could I?

The answers were lost to me at that moment because Edward was touching me, creating a crescendo that rose from the tips of his fingers to the core of my body until it filled my head. I could almost hear it as a symphony playing inside me, and Edward was the conductor.

I felt the world shift, literally this time, and I found myself laying on my back atop the blanket he'd spread earlier on the ground. Edward was on top of me, surrounding me, and I felt no fear, no doubt, no apprehension.

Lifting my hands, I threaded my fingers in his hair again and pulled him down for another earth-shattering kiss. This time, I knew more. He'd been the teacher before, showing me what a mouth could do, and now I was showing him what I'd learned. I was rewarded with more moans from him, some growls, even. Though some of the sounds he was making were almost inhuman, I found myself too lost in this, in him, to care.

I felt his weight settle over me, cradled between my thighs, and I relished in the sense of completeness it brought me. Despite the logical part of me that was still concerned about how fast things were going, I did not care. There was a rightness that filled me. This was where I was always meant to be.

When I felt him—hard, large, demanding—against the most intimate place in my body, I let out a deep and guttural moan. It felt too good, too strong, and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. My body moved without any conscious command from my mind. I was stripped to the most basic needs, and the strongest ones were all tied to the man above me.

I cried out in surprise and pleasure when his hand suddenly found its way between us and pressed a particularly sensitive part of me. My eyes, which I wasn't even aware I'd closed, shot open.

I found Edward looking down at me, a sensual smirk curving his swollen lips. "Yes, my Bella. Feel me."

He pressed again, and then he began to rub me. First, it was circles that spiraled inward. Then, it was shallow movements up and down. Then, his mouth descended on my neck, and as he increased the pressure of his fingers, he began to suck on the base of my throat, and I was sent flying.

The cry of shock, surprise, and pleasure seemed to echo around me, but I couldn't find enough space in my mind to care. I was overwhelmed. I was floating.

_So this is what it feels like to be on cloud nine_ , I thought dreamily as the delicious waves of pleasure continued to course through my body, leaving me amazingly satiated.

Edward stilled above me, but I was too far gone in my own delight to do more than take note of it at the back of my mind. I was trying to catch my breath, my lungs seeming to be unable to inflate enough to get the oxygen I craved. My body felt like an overcooked noodle. My brain… Well, that was definitely a mush.

I giggled as I threw my head back, not caring even a little that I was probably getting sand all over my hair.

"Wow," I managed to say, still breathless. "Just…" I was shaking my head, still smiling like a complete idiot. "I don't know what that was, but…wow."

I felt Edward's body vibrate above me as he chuckled.

"That, my dear, innocent, mate, was just a small taste of what I want to do to you," he said, leaning on his elbows, his body still caging me.

I felt myself blush, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I was still tingling all over—from the tips of my fingers to the toes of my feet, and everywhere in between.

o.O.o

**Edward**

I watched her beautiful face as it slowly lost the bright pink blush and settled into a satisfied glow. My inner beast was clawing inside me with frustration. I had given my mate a release but denied myself one. Clenching my teeth, I drew on the reserves of my self-control to push away the carnal demands of my body.

We still needed to talk. Bella needed to know more before we could complete what a simple kiss had started. I was well aware of the risk I was taking as I leaned to taste her lips for the first time, but I was reluctant to deny myself a taste of her. Now, I was paying for it.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I reminded myself, again, why I chose to stop.

The moment I took my mate, completing the physical claim on her body, my instincts would take over, and I would claim her life—her human life—as well. I knew that I would not be able to resist. I had heard it countless times before, from hundreds of vampires. The first joining was all about instinct. And a male's instinct to claim his mate, to leave his mark on her for all to see, was impossible to deny.

I had met several mated pairs where the male did not wait to tell his female everything, simply letting his animal take over, and saw the effects those actions had on the bond, the relationship, between the two mates. It took much longer for them to truly connect, the female being much more hesitant to trust her male in the way a mated pair should be able to. I intended to avoid such a fate.

When I took my Bella—and I knew it would happen soon as she seemed to be feeling the pull as strongly as was humanly possible—I wanted her to know everything, to understand, and to trust in me.

I turned us to the side and pulled the blanket I had discarded earlier to cover the tempting naked flesh of my mate. The night air was growing colder, and I did not want her to be chilled. It also served as a barrier against her nakedness, helping me to control my instincts.

I could not help but smile as Bella cuddled against me, her entire being radiating satisfaction. Any traces of doubt I had in me that she was in a relationship or had been previously involved with someone, her reaction to my giving her pleasure had erased all traces of it.

She was completely innocent, and completely mine to teach the pleasures I could evoke in her body.

Looking down at her upturned face, I could not help but smile at her. The spark of joy I saw in her beautiful brown eyes brought peace to my inner demon. This was where I belonged, in the arms of my soft angel.

I knew not how long we remained that way, curled around each other, letting the silence stretch comfortably between us. A small eternity, perhaps.

Then Bella's brows furrowed, and her open and happy expression changed to a concerned one. I tried to listen in on the thoughts running through her mind, but they were either too quiet for me to hear or too confused to make sense of.

"Edward?" she asked in a quiet whisper, biting her bottom lip.

I held back a groan. The flames of carnal need for her were only just barely held back by my iron will, the barrier of thin blanket might as well have been nonexistent. "Yes, my Bella?"

"Why don't you have a heartbeat?"

The question was barely above a whisper, but I heard her clearly. For a brief moment, I stilled. In that moment, too short for her human senses to perceive, I took note of the position of her palm above my silent heart, the sudden quickening of her own pulse, and the surprising lack of fear in her eyes.

_Well, I suppose this is as good a starting point as any to tell her everything_. "My heart had been still for more than fifteen decades," I replied calmly, watching her face for her reaction. "Ever since completing the transformation that had begun with my sire's bite, it had not beat a single beat."

"Oh," she sighed. Her eyes were wide, but I could not read the exact emotion in them. Shock? Surprise? Understanding? Fear?

I tightened my hold on her slightly, ready to restrain her should she decide to attempt an escape. I knew I would not react well should she try to run from me. My instincts would truly take over then, and there would be no stopping until she was fully claimed and burning with my venom as it spread in her veins.

Several more moments were spent in silence before Bella finally spoke again. "You aren't human."

Although it was a statement and not a question, I said, "No."

"How old are you?"

I could not help smiling at the question. Out of everything I had been expecting her to ask, that was definitely not high on my list. "Twenty-four."

Bella frowned. "How long have you been twenty-four?"

"A while." I was teasing her. She seemed to have brought out the mischievous side of me.

"How long is a while?" she insisted.

I chuckled. I was glad to see her show her spine. _She might be soft, but there is steel inside her_. "I was born in Chicago in eighteen thirty-two," I began. "Though I remember little of my human life, as is usual for my kind, I know I had parents and siblings I loved and several close friends whose faces remained with me during my transformation. According to my sire, I was engaged to be married, but I do not recall any details of my intended." I felt Bella stiffen slightly in my arms and caught the note of possessiveness and jealousy in her thoughts. Apparently, she did not like hearing I had a connection to another female any more than I liked the thought of her being involved with anyone other than me. "My first clear memory is of the change itself. Again, it is usual for my kind. The burn of the venom as it courses through one's veins is the worst pain we would ever experience in our long existence."

"Venom?" Bella's brows furrowed, and I caught fleeting images of spiders and snakes running through her mind. "Are you like Spiderman?"

I laughed. "No, my kind shares a name with a different creature in the animal kingdom."

I listened as she seemed to flip through more possibilities. I heard no specific words coming from her, only flashes of images and impressions, and again wondered if this was a sign of a latent gift. After several moments of thinking, I heard one word coming clearly from her thoughts, as though she was screaming it in her mind.

"Say it," I told her, watching her face with great concentration.

Bella met my gaze, a myriad of emotions reflected in her eyes. She licked her lips to wet them before whispering one word, "Vampire."

"Yes," I confirmed. "I was changed in the winter of eighteen fifty-six. I spent the first few years learning to adapt to the changes that occurred in my body and to develop my self-control. When a human is changed, every sense he possesses is enhanced. It takes a while for the brain to process the changes. In some cases, the human brings an extra sense—a gift, you might say—into his new life. In my case, I was probably very sensitive to the thoughts and emotions of the people around me. After going through the transformation, I was able to hear the thoughts of everyone around me within a fairly large range as clearly as if they had spoken them aloud."

Bella's breath hitched, and I detected a hint of embarrassment and unease coming from her.

"In one hundred and sixty-three years, I have not come across many who defied me," I continued. "You are one of very few whose thoughts I cannot access fully."

"So you're saying that you can't hear me?"

"I can get a general idea of what you are thinking about and, sometimes, I can even hear a few words," I explained. "For the most part, though, no, I cannot hear you."

Bella let out a sigh. "Good."

I raised a brow. "Good?"

"Yes." Although she was biting her lip—a habit I was coming to learn meant she was uncertain or worried—her voice was firm. "I like my privacy," she explained.

"Oh, really?"

Before she could answer me, I rolled us over and caged her beneath me again. I held most of my weight off her, leaning on my elbows and knees, but there was enough pressed on her that she could not easily escape me.

Bella let out a small cry of surprise. "You brute!" she accused, but her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"I am," I admitted shamelessly. "You are mine, Bella." My voice lost its jovial tone as I looked into her eyes. "I am a possessive and selfish creature, and you will learn that I want to know everything that you think and feel. It is my duty to protect you and provide for you, my honor to make sure you are happy and cared for. I cannot do either if I am not privy to your thoughts and emotions."

Bella's amusement was gone as well. "I'm going to want to keep some things to myself, Edward."

I was shaking my head even before she finished speaking. "There will be no secrets between us, my Bella." I allowed more of my weight to settle over her as I slid my knee between her thighs. "You are mine, and I am yours. Once I take you as my mate, we will become one."

I could see she wanted to object and refused to allow her to do so. I slid my other knee between her legs and pressed myself fully against her. Instinctively, she raised one leg and cradled my body.

"I will have no secrets from you, either," I continued. "There cannot be a true mating with secrets, and I want nothing else for the two of us but a true and everlasting bond."

Her breathing increased, and I wondered how much of it was caused by fear and how much by desire.

"Except for once, when I bite you to initiate your change, I will never hurt you, never allow any harm to be caused to you," I said.

"Bite me?" Her voice was almost a squeak.

"I told you that you are mine and I am yours, Bella," I reminded her. "If I could become human for you, I would. As that is an impossibility, I will be changing you to become a vampire like me."

She swallowed hard, and I had no trouble recognizing the emotion in her eyes this time. Fear.

"I am sorry that you will have to experience the pain of the transformation, Little One," I said softly. "I hate the thought of causing you even the slightest discomfort."

"So that's it? I don't have a choice in the matter?" There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, and her voice cracked.

My heart broke. I leaned down to kiss the corners of her eyes, tasting the saltiness of her tears. "What choice would you like to have, my Bella?" I tried very hard to keep my voice soft even as my instincts roared inside me, demanding that I bit her, changed her, bound her to me before anything could happen to take her away from me.

"I don't know," she choked out, closing her eyes as more tears spilled from them.

A thought occurred to me, and a fist closed around my heart, pushing out pain throughout my body. "Do you want the chance to become a mother? Is this the choice you are speaking of?" I forced the question out. I knew that no matter what she answered, I would not change my decision, and it hurt. Even so early in our relationship, it tore at me to deny her anything.

Bella sighed. "I know that most girls, women, my age want that." She opened wet eyes. "I don't. I never dreamed about having a house full of kids." She shuddered. "That thought is actually quite horrifying to me."

Relief spread through me. "Then what other choice do you wish to have? For, other than children—which I cannot give you and you do not wish to have—there is nothing I won't provide."


	4. Forever

**Bella**

What _did_ I want?

I asked myself that question over and over as I looked into Edward's fierce eyes above me. I was finally able to tell their color—a beautiful golden hue that shined in the dim light of the dying fire.

I wrapped my arms around his strong body and leaned into his hand that was touching my cheek.

_What do I want?_

Looking deep inside me, the answer was clear and simple. Edward.

There was no family left for me, and any close friends I might have had before my parents died, they'd grown distant after the accident. What would I really be leaving behind me if I chose to join Edward, an empty house that held too many memories?

I looked into Edward's golden eyes and saw so much emotion in them. There was also pain written in his features, and I found my heart clenching inside me as I recognized it and understood that I was the cause of his suffering.

"Nothing," I whispered as I pressed myself up against him, wrapping my legs around him as well. My body knew, even before my mind had comprehended, what my heart was whispering to me since the moment I had laid eyes on this man. My life was tied to his, irrevocably. I had feared I would be powerless against him as he explained what he was, but I came to realize that I was the one holding the power over him. My happiness was truly of the utmost importance to him. "All I want, all I need…is you."

And it was the absolute truth. I might not know where my future was headed, but I had no doubt that it would be with this man, this vampire, by my side.

With a beautiful smile on his face, he leaned down to meet my lips.

"I love you, Bella Swan," he whispered before claiming my mouth in a kiss that started a fire inside me. I knew its heat would only be matched by the burn of his venom when he bit me, and I welcomed it as I welcomed Edward into my heart and soul.

o.O.o

**Several weeks later…**

Waking up as a vampire had been more than just overwhelming. There wasn't a word to describe the bombardment of input I had experienced even before opening my eyes after my transformation. The sounds were so much loader, the smells so much sharper, and when I opened my eyes and saw the world with my new eyes, it was almost painful in its sharpness.

Seeing Edward with vampire eyes was like seeing him anew. His hair, which I thought was reddish-brown in color, actually consisted of millions of different hues—blonds, reds, browns—that were only matched by the kaleidoscope of gold that were his eyes. They mesmerized me upon first glance.

Upon second glance, I pounced on him, and we spent my first few days as a newborn vampire making love and learning everything there was to know about each other's body, and how to bring the other pleasure.

It had surprised Edward, but I had not been overcome with bloodlust and fury soon after awakening. Although it was overwhelming at first, being able to hear the cry of birds from miles away and actually see those birds if I focused enough, I had Edward with me. He was my anchor, my guide, and my sun.

As he had promised, he was mine, and I was his. The connection between us was almost physical in nature. I felt him in my chest, where my heart used to beat, like a ghost of a pulse.

The island was uninhabited, which meant that my first meals as a vampire were some aquatic animals and small forest critters. Suffice it to say, I had not been impressed with their taste. I had worried about it, knowing the stories of what a vampire's diet usually consisted of, but Edward had surprised me once again.

"Synthetic blood?" I repeated his words, slightly shocked.

"Yes." He nodded. "It is much more practical, and, well, civilized." He flashed me a smile as he took me in his arms. We seemed to be unable to stop touching each other for more than a few minutes. Not that I was complaining.

I rolled my eyes at him. Edward was the epitome of practical and civilized to me. Had I not seen him hunt, I would have thought he was incapable of being wild—other than, perhaps, when he was making love to me. The last thought made me feel like blushing but, of course, I was incapable of doing so. _Thank God for small favors_.

"The Volturi—those are the three brothers and their mates who comprise the governing council for our kind—they have developed it several years ago," Edward explained, completely oblivious to my train of thought.

That was another thing I relished in. After my transformation, even what little he had been able to read from my thoughts was now quiet to him. Apparently, whatever force that had kept him mostly out of my head had grown stronger with the introduction of venom into my system. While that fact frustrated Edward sometimes, he mostly was as grateful for it as I was, saying that it was comforting to be in the company of another without being constantly assaulted with their thoughts on top of his own.

"In the past, we used to bring humans to the castle, but it became somewhat complicated to keep doing so in this modern day and age, where everyone has a digital fingerprint," he said. "And, as you've just noted, the alternative of feeding from animals is less than palatable for almost everyone. Master Carlisle Cullen and his mate are the only vampires I had heard of who were committed to that way of feeding before there was another alternative."

A shudder of disgust ran through me as I recalled the taste of the blood I had just consumed. It reminded me of how I imagined a pile of dirt would taste to a human.

"Yes, not very appealing." Edward smiled, seeing my reaction. "With the synthetic substitute, we can use donated blood that the hospitals cannot use as the base and create enough to feed us without having to deal with the technicalities of disposing of the evidence." He paused and looked down into my eyes. "It also helped those of us who wanted a way to sustain ourselves but not feel like monsters who preyed on others for their own survival."

His words cut me deep as I could see that Edward was one of those who had suffered. I could relate to it. I did not want to become a monster in the literal sense, even though by becoming a vampire, I kind of already was a monster, technically speaking.

"Although, I will admit, there are those who still choose to go the traditional way when feeding," Edward said. "Most of the vampire race has made the transition to synthetic blood. As I said, it is much more practical."

"So, when do I get to taste this magical elixir myself?" I asked, smiling, as I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled myself close to him. "Because whatever that thing was, I definitely don't feel like feeding from any of its relatives." I made a face.

Edward laughed and placed a small kiss on my nose. "Well, as vampires, we are pretty quick swimmers. I would say about two days, assuming we do not take any detours along the way."

That confused me. "Swimmers?"

Edward nodded in the direction of the ocean. "Italy is about five thousand and three hundred miles in this direction."

My jaw dropped. "You want us to swim five _thousand_ miles?"

"Five thousand and three hundred," he corrected. "Give or take. We would have to approach the shore during the night, so we might have to make a few detours, after all."

My mind was still stuck on the idea of swimming that incredible distance. "We are going to cross the Atlantic Ocean."

"Yes."

I laughed. I couldn't help myself. The idea was simply ridiculous. I laid my head against Edward's chest and continued to giggle for several more minutes before looking back up at him. His smile was as brilliant as the sun shining above us, more brilliant than the reflective quality of our skin under said sun.

"I love you, Edward," I said, lifting my face for a kiss.

He leaned down to meet me halfway. Just before our lips met, he whispered, "I love you, Bella."

It took several more days—which were spent rolling on the sand and taking full advantage of the uninhabited quality of the island—before we turned to begin our swim back to civilization.

As I dove into the clear blue water with Edward holding my hand, I knew that I was yet again embarking on a journey into the unknown, but this time, I would have my mate at my side. Forever.

— Fin —

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed this little story. Again, thank you to Alice, the wonderful friend with the countless plot bunnies who gave me the idea of this one!
> 
> If you enjoy Twilight fics, you're welcome to head over to my profile to read more completed stories. Also, be on the lookout for a brand new story (already finished! It's undergoing editing right now and will be posted as soon as my wonderful hubby and beta finishes with it), which will be an AU short story called, "Sewing Beauty and Her Knights in Wrinkled T-Shirts"
> 
> See you in my other stories,
> 
> Alley Cat.


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